6 Tips for Taking Nature Photos on Your Phone
Smartphone cameras have become highly advanced and capable of taking very high-resolution photos in varying conditions. Many of them do not require any extra accessories to take photos in challenging conditions. The smartphone can be used to take high-quality photos of nature. The following tips will help you take perfect nature photos.
Take Photos When the Lighting Is Right
You will get perfect nature pictures when the lighting is right. The perfect lighting is not necessarily during the middle of the day. It depends on the scenery you are trying to capture. You may be trying to photograph the night scene. Most nature photos are taken during the daytime, but even then, too much bright light can spoil the photo. You will have 2-3 hours of perfect time during the daytime to capture an impressive image of an outdoor place. Some shadows add perspective. Time your photo session to these hours, so you get the perfect image. Sometimes you will get better photos during the overcast days, while at other times, it will be before dusk or after dawn. Sometimes it will be in the middle of the day. A lot depends on the area, subject, time of the year, and the prevailing lighting condition on the day.
Assess Your Camera’s Capabilities
Read carefully about the capabilities of your smartphone camera. Learn what it can do, and the features present with the camera. You may have some extra features like filters and the HDR function to improve the images. The camera may have an optical zoom facility. You will find different options in the camera menu. Check all these features early so you can choose the best technical specification when taking nature photos. Experiment with different combinations of technical specifications to see which combinations deliver the best results when taking nature photos. Experiment early before visiting the target place.
Compose It Properly
Always include some extra areas around the frame that you plan to keep. This way, you will have some flexibility when composing the photo later in an image editing program. Composing it too tightly the way you need it restricts your composition editing flexibility. The main subject is not kept at the center, but there are no hard and fast rules. It all depends on how you want to present the image to the viewer.
Horizon line is never kept in the middle. It is at least two-thirds down or above, but there is no fixed rule. Many smartphones superimpose nine horizontal lines to help you place the horizon line at the right place. If a person is being photographed, avoid keeping the person in the center. See where the horizon line is crossing in the background. The right combination of nature and the subject person should be found. Keep the horizon as a straight line and not leaning on the left or right side.
Take Help of Others Where Necessary
A smartphone is a lightweight and portable device that can be carried anywhere. You do not need the help of others to take most of the photos but if you want to include yourself in the image, take the help of someone from your group. It will give you a better result. You will avoid always taking a close-up selfie photo. The subject person can be placed at the right distance from the camera when someone else is photographing. It also results in better composition and more relaxed natural poses.
Go down or Higher
Do not try to take the photo always from a standing point of view. Sometimes you have to go down or higher to take a better image. This is especially true if you are photographing flowers of small plants, small animals, or a close-up of the ground. Sometimes you should go higher. Find the right vantage point to take the nature photo.
Keep in Mind How It Will Look Later
The camera lens can fail to give the same perspective as the human eyes. When you are present in a natural place, away from habitation, you can feel its vastness or beauty, but can you recreate the same feeling in your photo viewer? Include a person, animal, or bird for scaling. It will give the viewer an idea about the vastness of the area and make it look impressive. You can include some foreground items like plants, branches of a nearby tree, or grass to achieve the same result.
Take lots of photos, so you get that perfect image. Experiment with different specifications and angles. Taking lots of photos may not be possible with fast-moving subjects, but most smartphones have options to capture lots of images each second. These options are especially useful when taking photos of wildlife and birds. These nature photography tips will give you exceptional results with a smartphone camera.